Tube cleaning tool



May 12, 1953 D. s. POSSON 5 3 TUBE CLEANING TOOL Filed July 13. 1948Iaweeaiofl: Donald 63. P068031 Patented May 12, 1953 UNITED STATESrATENT OFFICE TUBE CLEANING TOOL Donald G. Posson, Needham, Mass.

Application July 13, 1948, Serial No. 38,507

2 Claims. 1

This application is a continuation in part of the now pendingapplication of Donald G. Posson, Serial No. 9,360, filed February 19,1948, for Tube Cleaning Tool.

This invention releates to means for cleaning, polishing or lapping theinterior of tubes. The invention is particularly concerned withproviding a ready means for cleaning small bores such as rifle barrelsand small tubes of all kinds, whether circular or otherwise in crosssection. It will be understood, of course, that the various parts may beenlarged to any degree necessary to clean effectively larger tubes.

The invention lends itself not only to the general cleaning of a tubebut also to polishing the interior surface or even enlar ing theinternal diameter through the use of suitable abrasives combination withthe present construction.

In the prior art construction it has been difficult to provide acleaning rod having some sort of swab attached thereto which can bedrawn back and forth within the tube without having the swab jam whenmoved in one of the two directions. For example, in cleaning a riflebarrel it is generally necessary to push the cleaning rod having a swabaffixed to the leading end all the way through the barrel to the breechbefore the rod can be withdrawn. This is due to the jamming effectcaused by the swab as the motion of the rod is reversed.

The present construction includes a fluted cleaning rod and a swabmember having an interior metal support which gives the swab suchrigidity as it lies within the flutes of the rod that the unit may bemoved back and forth without jamming.

The swab or cleaning element in the present case can be varied in itseffective diameter or volume so that interior pressure against the tubemay be varied to modify the cleaning effect. The swab is of suchmaterial and so constructed that it may readily receive and hold anabrasive by which the interior surface may be polished or lapped.

The invention holds the swab in a helical position so that the entirecircumference of the barrel is simultaneously engaged during back andforth motion of the cleaner. Thus the cleaning, polishing or lapp ngoccurs uniformly so that no chan e is caused in the interiorconfiguration of the tube except in so far as it may be somewhatenlarged when abrasives are used.

The invention will be more clearly understood as the descriptionproceeds with the aid of the accompanying drawing, in which Fig. 1illustrates a modified form of the inven- 2. tion in which the hole isremote from the end of the cleaning rod.

2 shows the swab in position in the rod shown in Fig. 1, with the unitentering a tube.

Fig. 3 shows the construction of Fig. 2 after it has been pushed throughthe tube that it was shown entering in Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is an end view looking from the left of Fig. 1.

Fig. 5 is a side view of the swab element before being positioned in theholder, with part of the brush-like fibres removed to show the characterof the supporting wire.

The invention shown in Figs. 1, 2, 3 and 4 has been found particularlydesirable for use in cleanmg gun barrels. Here the cleaning rod 30 hasthe usual preferred helical flutes 32 and 34, but the hole for thecleaning swab, instead of being at the leading end, is remote therefrom,as at 36. The leading end of the cleaning rod has a notch 38 extendinginto the web an appreciable distance, as shown. The purpose of this willbe explained shortly. The other end of the cleaning rod is threaded at4B for engagement with corresponding threads 42 on the end of ramrod 44.

After the cleaning swab 45 has been inserted in hole 35, the extendingends of the swab are folded into the helical flutes in the direction ofthe end of the cleaning rod.

As the swab it has the usual centrally located wires, similar to wiresI6 and I8, throughout its length. it becomes possible to give the twoends 48 and 50 a twist by the fingers which causes these ends to settleinto notch 38, thereby firmly locking the swab in position on the end ofthe cleaning rod. The twisted ends 48 and 50 which extend beyond the endof the cleaning rod 30 are, of course, of less diameter than that partof the swab which is in position in the helical flutes. Therefore it isapparent that the twisted ends 48 and 5E! may be freely introduced intothe nozzle of a gun barrel with firm engagement being made by the swabwhen the cleaning rod itself has entered. Thereafter the tool may bepushed all the way through the gun barrel to emerge from the breech, asshown diagrammatically in Fig. 3. Up to this point there has been nopossibility of the swab becomin dislodged or jammed, because the twistedends 48 and 59 are sufficiently strong to insure its maintaining itsposition in the flutes. After the swab has passed out at the other endof the barrel, as shown in Fig. 3, the assembly may then be drawn backand the swab will reenter the barrel readily, as the hole 36 will thenbe at the leading end of the swab.

This construction makes it possible to move the swab back and completelythrough the barrel and then to reverse the movement without possibilityof jamming. This constitutes an important advantage, as it halves thenormal time of cleaning the gun barrel, since each stroke is fullyeffective rather than alternate strokes as is now the case.

It will be understood that the cross-sectional configuration of theflutes may be varied somewhat without departing from the invention, andsimilarly the construction and cross-sectional shape of the swab maylikewise be modified to fit properly within the particular fluteconfiguration.

In machine shop operations the present invention has zeen foundeffective as a lapping tool for polishing and slightly increasing theinterior diameter of a tube. By placing suitable-abrasives either on theswab I 4 or within the tube, the back and forth movement of the swabwill bring the abrasive into easy and uniform contact with the entireinterior circumference to produce the required ellect. The swab willordinarily consist of either animal or vegetable fibres supported by theinterior wires E5 and it. However, in some cases where a scratch brusheffect isdesired, the transversely extending fibres could be made ofshort lengths of wire which would give a more abrasive cleaning actionbut would otherwise behave in the same manner as the pipe stem cleanertype of swab, which is the preferred form.

While preferred forms of the invention have been shown and described, itis to be understood that the invention is not to be limited thereby butonly by the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A tool for cleaning the interior of tubes, comprising a cylindricalrod having oppositely disposed helical flutes extending longitudinallythereof, a hole through the web of said rod connecting said flutes attheir trailing end remote from the leading end of said rod, and acleaning swab comprising a pair of twisted Wires supporting fibroustwisted material positioned in said hole and with its ends extendedforwardly in said flutes, and the ends of said swab twisted togetherbeyond the leading end of said rod.

2. A tool for cleaning the interior of tubes, comprising a cylindricalrod having oppositely disposed helical flutes extending longitudinallythereof, a hole through the web of said rod connecting said flutes attheir trailing end remote from the leading end of said rod, a notch insaid web at the leading end of said rod, a cleaning swab comprising apair of twisted wires supporting fibrous twisted material positioned insaid hole and with its ends extended forwardly in said flutes, the endsof said swab twisted together beyond the leading end of said rod so asto engage in said notch.

DONALD G. POSSON.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS NumberName Date 889,890 Bass June 9, 1908 966,100 Johnson Aug. 2, 1910 2,4203%Jowett May 6, 1947 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 3%,827 SwedenJan. 26, 1912 387,50": Germany Dec. 29, 1923 $394,156 Great Britain June22, 1933

